


Once upon a Lifetime

by JessicaEBoswell



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 21:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13644771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessicaEBoswell/pseuds/JessicaEBoswell
Summary: It's not every day that a faun is spotted, but when Victor goes exploring in the forest he's always called home, he stumbles upon a beautiful pond and discovers more than he bargained for.





	Once upon a Lifetime

Victor loved nothing more than sprinting through the woods; his senses would come alight as the sights and smells hit him all at once and filled his body with clean air. The shades of green in summer were captivating, the fire leaves in the autumn were mesmerising, and when the winter snow fell and left a blanket of white, there was nothing more he liked to do than walk on the crisp powder and listen to the crunch underfoot; but his favourite time of year was Spring, when blossom teemed on every sprig and the trees began to come to life again. It was a time of rebirth, of new beginnings and opportunity, and during the warmer days, the young elf made the most of the sun and spent the lighter hours outside.

Not that his guardian approved. Yakov had been the elven-king for centuries, guarding the realms of magic, and he didn’t take kindly to time wasted on nonsense, but Victor was not a child to be commanded and trained in obedience. He was an elf of the woods, a dedicated soul protecting the forests and ensuring that the seasons were kind, just like his parents before him.

Crossing the trickling stream and venturing into the denser part of the woods, he slowed his pace and took in a deep lungful of air, treasuring each floral scent before breathing out again. As a child he’d walked along the many roads, travelling as the elven-king’s ward and accompanying him on his visits to the different kingdoms, but he’d always found the little nooks and hidden parts of the forest that others tended to ignore far more fascinating than the statues and monuments on the roads. There were secrets there, parts of the world that hadn’t been seen in hundreds of years, and the mystery of it all enthralled him.

The agile elf nimbly navigated his way across the uneven land, his bow gently patting his back as he clambered over fallen rocks and tiptoed across the narrow bridges that crossed the many dried-up ravines and gorges.

It was tiring work, even for a elf as young and sprightly as Victor, but his efforts were soon rewarded when he stumbled upon a pond, the stream above pouring down the rocks in sheets and splashing into the waters in a spray of droplets and foam. There were flowers of all varieties scattered around the opening, some he’d never seen before. As he approached the water, he noticed white flowers floating on the surface, their petals flourishing and revealing the pale shades of pink within.

A rustling from trees and hedges by the waterfall shocked him from his fascination, and he instinctively reached for his bow. Keeping low to the ground, he watched as a timid creature emerged from the shade, walking on cloven hooves and kneeling down beside the pond.

“A faun,” he whispered incredulously, staring wide-eyed and marvelling at the beauty before him as he lifted his water-laden hands and raised them to his lips. A faun hadn’t been seen in over five-hundred years, and most now thought of them as a myth, but just a matter of metres away was a real faun, twitching ears and shining eyes, just as the stories told.

A misstep led to him careening forwards, his feet catching on the hidden rocks concealed by the undergrowth and his landing leaving him tangled in vines.

The faun jumped and instantly recoiled from the strange elf, quivering in fright where he stood. He was frozen in place, his mind telling him to flee but his body refusing to move.

“Please, don’t leave,” Victor begged, wriggling his way out of the vines and pushing himself up off the dried grass. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He could see that the faun was frightened, bordering on petrified, but he could hardly blame him when an elf had just emerged from the hedges in a manner that Yakov would undoubtedly have grumbled at. “My name is Victor. Do you have a name?”

“Yuri,” the faun replied, nervously wringing his hands. “My name is Yuri.”

“Yuri,” Victor breathed, the name tingling as it rolled along his tongue. He could feel the heat in his body rising to his cheeks, undoubtedly colouring them pink, and if that wasn’t enough to give away his glee, the smile he was unable to repress certainly would. “It’s nice to meet you, Yuri. I can’t say I’ve ever met a faun before.”

Yuri took a tentative step forwards now that he knew he wasn’t in any immediate danger, treading into the light so that he could see the alluring elf properly; his hair was silver like the moon and his eyes were a startling blue, not so dissimilar from the water of the pond. But most of all his smile was gentle, the type of smile he associated with fondness and warmth. “I’ve never met an elf like you before. I was always told elves were cruel-hearted beings who slaughtered the fauns and forced us into hiding.”

“Well I’m not that kind of elf,” Victor assured him, slowly approaching the faun and watching for any signs of discomfort; the last thing he wanted to do was scare him off. “I am a guardian of the forest, I would never hurt anything that came from it, especially not something so radiant.” He instantly realised what he’d said and forced a filter on his thoughts. He’d never spoken like this before, so openly and so honestly, but in truth, he rather liked it.

“Thank you.” Yuri bit his lip and looked at the ground, shuffling awkwardly on his hooves. “I’m glad you think so kindly of me. I find you rather radiant too.”

Victor grinned, keeping his gaze on Yuri as he took the last few steps towards him; his hair was as dark as night and he smelled like the forest, pure and fragrant. He could have happily stayed by the waterfall for hours with the faun, discovering a world he’d only ever heard about in tales and getting to know him better, but his own kind had other ideas. In the distance he heard a thunder of horse hooves and yelling in his mother tongue, the noise terrifying the already anxious faun. “It’s all right, they won’t find us here,” Victor promised, “but I will have to go. If they find me missing, they will grow suspicious and may come looking.”

Yuri nodded in understanding and quickly made his way back to the pond, crouching down and reaching out with delicate fingers to catch one of the white flowers. He kissed the petals and held it close to his chest as returned to Victor. “This water lily carries a faun kiss, a blessing,” he told him, holding it out for the elf to take. “It will never wither, not even in winter. Take it with you, in hope that we will see each other again.” Without another word, the faun turned and bolted into the forest, swallowed by the shadows within seconds and gone from sight.

Victor watched, hoping to see him in the shade of the overhanging branches, but all he could see were thistles and thorns. As the noise of the elves on patrol grew, he quickly pressed his lips to the flower and placed it safely in his satchel, giving the enchanting pond and forest life one last glance before he left to join his kin, hoping that he would see Yuri again one day.


End file.
